Long story short, I want to buy an xl but I am stuck between the super smash bros edition and the year of luigi, luigi themed edition (the one with luigis all over it). Problem is one is white (saw that a lot of people have a problem with discoloring) and the other one has a glossy finish (fingerprint magnet). Now, is the white turning into yellow or the fingerprints staying on the console such big problems? If so, which one is less problematic to get rid of (taking into consideration that I do not plan on using a case that surrounds the entire console aka power case or w/e it's called)?

Have you considered waiting for "The New" 3ds XL.? It's supposed to be a much snappier user experience, and will obviously getting exclusive games to boot. As somebody with a 3ds XL already that wants to upgrade I advise waiting.

@giantlizardking: I have thought about it, yes, but I need a handheld at the moment to kill time at home/while traveling etc. Usually consoles tend to come out at Q3 so that would mean that Q3 2015 (approximately) is going to be the time when the ''New" 3ds xl comes out. Since I judge a lot by appearances and want something out of the ordinary I'd have to wait some extra time so that other, new ones that are limited edition with some thingies painted on them come out. That would be in about 2016, give or take a few months. Not to mention that there will be just a handful of releases in the first couple of months, some of the them probably being compatible with the 3ds xl. I'm not the type of person who buys a console immediately when it comes out. I'd still wait a year or two so that some new, cool titles come out and the price of the console itself goes down. Thanks for the advice, anyway.

I have had the white Animal Crossing 3DS XL since that came out early last year and that hasn't had any discolouring.

@alistercat: Do you take any precautions (obsessive cleaning, case, chemicals, etc.) before/after you use it? I feel like getting one that's white but I am so damn afraid of it turning yellow-ish and just discoloring in general.

@some1else: My original DSLite was a white one, and it's still as white as the day I got it, and I've done nothing particularly special with it. The only thing I've really ever done is keep it in a case when I haven't been using it for a while.

@some1else: I take no precautions. I never put cases on any electronics. I also have 2 white DS Lites the same as the above poster and they are both still completely white as well.

The discolouring comes from oxidisation of certain plastics. I don't know the particular plastics involved here, but it doesn't seem like they discolour the same way an old console like a SNES would.

If you really want something out of the ordinary you get a Nintendo 2ds. I have never seen one person playing that ever in public or on the bus.

@i_stay_puft: I really hope that that was sarcasm, cause there's no way I'm getting a 2ds. There's a reason people don't use them in public. They're not portable at all. It's like a plastic brick with 2 screens. I have heard from a lot of people that it feels really cheap, too. Anyways, nobody that replied here has had a problem with their white 3ds/DS lite, but other forums are full of people that complain about how their pikachu 3ds started discoloring on the inside after a month of use, so I have no idea what to believe anymore.

@some1else: I've had a white for a few months now and it was second hand. I take absolutely no care of it at all (I'm a terrible person) but it's basically just as white as ever. I don't think you need to worry.